As part of the Fit for 55 package, the European Commission has proposed a target for Member States to ensure that 50% of all hydrogen use in industry by 2030 is ‘green hydrogen’. The Netherlands is a major consumer of hydrogen, and it is expected that the Dutch hydrogen demand will grow further due to existing industry plans in new applications such as steel.
It will be a challenge for the Netherlands to realise the required volumes of green hydrogen by 2030, both with regard to scarce green hydrogen availability and the costs involved. Achieving this target by 2030 will become even more challenging if Dutch industry plans are realised for CO2 emission reduction through decarbonisation of fuel gases and fossil fuels with CCS (low-carbon hydrogen), and the resulting hydrogen must be included in the target setting for green hydrogen.